Scientific method
The scientific method is a general approach to problems that
involves making observations, seeking patterns in the
observations, formulating hypotheses to explain the
observations, and testing these hypotheses by further
experiments.
Scientific methods in Chemistry
Chemistry is an experimental science. The idea of using
experiments to understand nature seems like such a natural
pattern of thought to us now, but there was a time, before the
seventeenth century, when experiments were rarely used. The
ancient Greeks, for example, did not rely on experiments to
test their ideas.
What is the scientific method?
Although two different scientists rarely approach the same
problem in exactly the same way, there are guidelines for the
practice of science that have come to be known as the
scientific method. These guidelines or steps
of scientific method start with collecting information on,
or data, by observation and experiment. However, the collection
of information is not the ultimate goal. The goal is to find a
pattern or sense of order in our observations and to understand
the origin of this order.
As we perform our experiments, we may begin to see patterns
that lead us to a tentative explanation or hypothesis that
guides us in planning further experiments. Eventually, we may
be able to tie together a great number of observations in terms
of a single statement or equation called a scientific law.
|